Mine All Mine ~ Tommy Shelby

No Surprises - Radiohead

15th November 1922 1:22 pm
A beautiful melody of humming brightened the room of darknesses. A small room, wooden splintered floorboards lined the floor. The walls were covered in a musky wallpaper, smoke had diminished the colour over the years.
Three waxy candles burned, giving short light. It was dark from the looming winters day. Rain pelted obnoxiously against the glass window, making its presence known.

Ophelia laid peacefully, like a porcelain doll, on a small twin sized bed. She was under 3 blankets, shielding her from the cold. Her breathing was deep in her sleep.

One of the waxy candles warm flames lit a golden cast on Ophelias face.

Ophelia began to move in discomfort. A horrible dream started to disease the peace of her sleep.

'It's mine.' A gritty voice ravenously repeated.
'It's mine, it's mine, it's mine'
She screamed to get out. She was in darkness.
'It's mine, its mine'
Images started flashing.
The eyes. The cold eyes.
The door handle. Someone was grabbing it. The door handle.
Gun shots.
'It's mine,' the voice began shouting.
She couldn't breath.
She felt a hand choke her.
'IT'S MINE,' The voice screamed aggressively.
A knife stabbed deeply into her core.

A blood curdling scream filled the dark room. Tears ran down Ophelias face quickly. She could still feel the knife. She whipped her head down to look, but nothing was there. The gruesome pain slowly subsided as her surroundings slowly became clear to her.

A door squeaked open swiftly, a brown haired woman with a short cut sprinted in. A small, silent baby sat on her hip, looking around the dark room with curious eyes.

'Jesus Christ, you alright?' Her voice riddled with panic. Her eyes were wide from the fright of the scream of Ophelia.

'Who-? Wha-?,' Ophelia swivelled her head viscously around the room, trying to recognise her surroundings.

The brown haired woman made her way over to Ophelias bedside and knelt down by the bed. She placed a soft hand on Ophelias burning forehead and looked at her with pity. Ophelia stared back in confusion.

'Oh darling. Remember? Those to men were at you. One of them knocked you out, but then of course they saw who I was. They fucked off then,' she shrugged her shoulders. The got up again and started fluffing Ophelias pillows.

'Sorry,' Ophelia rubbed her head. She felt an excruciating banging there. 'What is your name?'

'Oh yes! I'm Ada Thorne.' She smiled as she went to the window and looked out. 'Well when I need it I use my maiden name. For situations like, you know, yesterday. Ada Shelby.'

Shelby. The Shelby name rang in her head. At once, it all came flooding back to her. 1922, Shelby. Her heart dropped to her stomach. She'd have to stay here. In 1922. However, this time the idea seemed more settled. She sat there in silence.

'Hold on. I'll get you something to eat. I'll be 5 minutes,' Ada told her and departed from the room.

Shelby, how the fuck does she keep ending up with Shelbys. Maybe it was a sign.

1922. This was a gift, she decided. The universe was helping her. She'd find out about the Solomon wealth in first person. But she'd have to stay here for almost a year. A year in such a foreign place. She doesn't have a place to stay, money or food.

Another thing that hit her was that she'd have to keep a close eye on the Shelbys. This frightened her. They seemed powerful. Strong. Higher then everyone else. In a blink of an eye they could find out she wasn't from 1922. But, they must be the reason for the Solomon wealth.

She'd have to have some fixed ideas so they won't discover her truth. She had already told two of the Shelbys that her name was 'Ophelia Anderson'. So that'd have to stick. The reason why she has no money and is homeless is because after she got drunk and fell into the canal, her father kicked her out as she put shame on the family.

She did the maths to figure out her birth date. She was 25 years old and it was 1922. She furrowed her eyebrows whilst doing the sum. 1897. She would be born in 1897. She smirked at herself. Such a long time ago.

Ada bustled back into the room, in one hand she held a bowl containing a hot broth. In the other was her small baby.

'I didn't get your name?' Ada asked as she placed the bowl infront of Ophelia.

Ophelia drew her head down and looked at the contents. A water broth met her eyes. She realised the emptiness of her stomach, she hadn't eaten in nearly 2 day. She smiled up at Ada. 'Thank you. I'm Ophelia Anderson'

'Ophelia. Beautiful name. Where you from?' Ada sat down at the side of Ophelias bed, awaiting conversation.

'Oh around London. Eh, may I ask, how did I get here?' Ophelia gave her an earnest look.

'I suppose you'd be wondering that. After those men knocked you out, I got a couple of men, good men, to carry you to my home. I decided to take care of you.' Ada's brummie accent was strong.

'Thank you so much! I'm so grateful. So your Shelby, that's a big name around here?'

Ada threw her eyes up to heaven. 'Yeah. The bloody Shelbys. I usually go for my dead husbands name Thorne. But they only listen when Shelby is thrown out. My brothers are in charge of the Peaky Blinders, so everyone is scared shitless of them. You know I can't be talking about them. What brings you down to Birmingham?'

Ophelia sat herself up more. She didn't know fully yet if she could trust Ada, but she delved into her eyes and saw kindness. 'Well I got pissed, completely. Fell into the canal. Fell onto a canal boat. Now I'm here. My father doesn't want me back. Says I'm a shame upon the family.'

'Oh my God. Where you going to go?'

'No clue. Not a clue,' This was true for Ophelia. She didn't have a clue.

She looked up at Ada. Ada was deep into thinking. Her eyes looked seriously. Slowly she came to an answer. 'I have a free room here. The one we're in. Why not stay here,'

Ophelias eyes lit up. A ray of hope. She just needed to grab it. 'God Ada. That's too generous. You don't even know me,'

'Well one of the Shelbys has to try and put good on our name,' she raised one eyebrow.

Ophelias heart slowly dropped as realisation hit her.'Oh fuck, I've no money. I couldn't pay for the room,'

She let out a short laugh. 'I don't even pay for this house, the Company does.'

The reality of where she was hit Ophelia again. Shelby Company Ltd. was the company she was talking about.

Ophelia leaned in and hugged Ada. They barely knew eachother, but Ada seemed like a bright star in the darkness Ophelia had been put in.

'Oh my God thank you. I'll try find work. I swear. I'll pay you a fare rate as soon as I can.' She said softy to Ada. Gratefulness was evident in her voice.

'No hurry at all love.' Ada replied.

Ophelia pulled out of the hug. 'You don't know any jobs, do you?'

Ada sighed. 'You know, let me think about it. Okay? Right now, you need to eat and rest. Later you can take a bath.'

Ophelia nodded at Ada. Ada bowed her head in departure.

Ophelia did not rest. Thoughts swam through her head. She lay there awake. She did eat though.